1. Field of the Disclosure
The present disclosure relates to automated cleaners utilizing ultrasonic transducers, and more particularly, to phonograph record cleaners utilizing ultrasonic transducers.
2. Description of Related Art
There are a variety of phonograph record cleaners known in the art. Some record cleaners utilize brushes or other cleaning members that make physical contact with the record. Some of these cleaners are commonly known to lack sufficient cleaning performance in that they are unable to thoroughly clean matter located in the grooves of the record. In addition, repeated use of cleaning implements that are required to make physical contact with the record can wear on the surface of the record.
Some record cleaners include a liquid basis for use in cleaning records. The liquid is often made up of a mixture of water and a proprietary cleaning fluid that is sold along with the record cleaner. If the user of such a record cleaner runs out of proprietary cleaning fluid, more must be purchased in order to continue using the record cleaner.
To overcome the limitations associated with the use of cleaning members, some record cleaners employ ultrasonic transducers to generate ultrasonic frequencies in the liquid, which in turn, generate compression waves in the cleaning liquid. Without being bound by theory, bubbles/cavitation can form as a result of the compression waves, and those bubbles can rapidly compress or implode creating liquid jets small enough to clean small grooves in records.
The amount of power used with an ultrasonic cleaning system can have a substantial impact on the effectiveness of the record cleaner. If the wattage is too low, then the ultrasonic transducers are too weak to adequately clean the record. If the wattage is too high, the surface of the phonograph records can be damaged.